UK imposes 100 new sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet, war suppliers

Investing.com -- The United Kingdom on Friday unveiled 100 additional sanctions against Russia, tightening restrictions on oil revenues and military supply chains as Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper travelled to Kyiv in a show of solidarity.

The measures follow what London described as "reckless Russian air strikes" that battered Kyiv’s Cabinet of Ministers building and violated NATO airspace in Poland.

The U.K. government said the latest action aims to cut off funding and supplies that sustain Vladimir Putin’s war effort, which has intensified with unprecedented missile and drone attacks.

A central focus is the so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers used to move Russian crude. 70 more ships have now been blacklisted, meaning the U.K. has sanctioned more vessels than any other country. Officials stressed that restricting the fleet is crucial to choking off the cash flows Russia relies on to finance the war.

Alongside maritime measures, sanctions were imposed on 30 individuals and entities accused of supplying Moscow with vital components. These include China-based Shenzhen Blue Hat International Trade and its Russian co-owners, as well as Turkey’s Mastel Makina Ithalat Ihracat and its Azerbaijani chief executive.

According to the U.K. government, such firms have provided electronics used in Russian Iskander and Kh-101 missiles and drones.

The government framed the designations as part of a broader push to build pressure as the conflict intensifies. In the past fortnight, Russia has launched the largest single air assault of the war, firing more than 800 missiles and drones in one night.

In July alone, 6,500 were deployed — ten times the volume of a year earlier. Recent strikes have not only targeted government infrastructure in Kyiv but also damaged the British Council and EU delegation buildings.

"The U.K. will not stand idly by as Putin continues his barbaric invasion of Ukraine. His complete disregard for sovereignty has been shown this week when he recklessly sent drones into NATO airspace," Cooper said in a statement. 

She stressed that “international action to increase economic pressure on Russia and to cut off critical cash flows which he desperately needs to pay for this illegal war is vital.”

Cooper said the measures mark the next stage in its efforts to ramp up economic pressure on Russia, alongside security support and cooperation with the Coalition of the Willing, to achieve "a just and lasting peace in Ukraine."